A prosecution witness has told the International War Crimes Tribunal that a he has personally witnessed a number of killing that took place in 1971 in the presence of and upon orders from Jamaat-e-Islami leader AKM Yusuf.
Fifth prosecution witness Abdul Jalil Tunu on Thursday submitted deposition before the second war crimes tribunal against war crime suspect Yusuf, founder of the Razakar force in 1971.
In his deposition, 58-year old Tunu said his elder brother Abu Bakr, a freedom fighter, was killed in the presence of Yusuf.
“On May 13, around 8 in the morning, I was told that my brother had been taken to the Razakar camp. Later, he was tortured to death. I rushed to the Razakar camp along with my brother-in-law Hafez Uddin Talukder and saw my brother’s bloody dead body and Yusuf there,” Tunu said.
He also said Yusuf permitted him to take his brother’s dead body for funeral. “I saw many freedom fighters held in the Razakar Camp. Some of them told me that they had been tortured upon Yusuf’s orders. My brother was tortured and killed by the Razakars.”
On May 17, Yusuf, along with 20-22 Razakar men, came to Morolganj Marker and ordered the killing of freedom fighters and Hindus. “Following his speech, around 10-10:30 in the morning on the same day, the Razakar men started attacking and looting shops in the Morolganj market and the adjacent houses.
“Some 300-400 shops and 22 houses were burnt on that day,” Tanu continued.
On May 19, around 9 at night, Yusuf came to Morolganj market along with Pakistani soldiers. There he ordered his men to kill the pro-liberation people.
Following Yusuf’s command, around 10-10:30 in the night, Pakistani soldiers pounced on the Morolganj market and confined Amar Das, Shanti Ranjan Das, Pijush Kanti Ghorai, and some others. Other than Pijush and Amar, all of them were killed around 12 that night at Moralganj launch terminal. Tanu told the tribunal that he and some others witnessed the killing secretly.
“I also witnessed the killing of social worker Abdul Majid on July 26, 1971. When Yusuf came to know that
Abdul Majid was a pro-liberation person, he ordered Razakar men to kill him. On June 26, Majid was forced to stand up in a lake and shot dead,” Tunu said.
The prosecution witness also identified Yusuf, who was present at the dock. He also told the tribunal that Yusuf had formed the “peace committee” in Khulna with the activists of Jamaat and Muslim League.
The tribunal set November 17 for further hearing in the war crime cases against Yusuf.
Jamaat-e-Islami leader AKM Yusuf was indicted on 13 war crimes charges, including killing, genocide and arson, religious conversion and deportation of people.
